'Take to heart the message of
struggle and
sacrifice,' Berry tells audience

Mary
Frances Berry (at right), U-M alumna and chair of the U.S.
Commission on
Civil Rights, called for an individual commitment to a
community of
justice and the ideals to which Martin Luther King Jr.
dedicated his life.
She gave the keynote address at the Martin Luther
King Jr. Day Symposium
Jan. 20.

Photos by Bob Kalmbach

By Bernie
DeGroat
News and Information Services

While Martin
Luther King Jr. wanted to be remembered as a "drum
major for justice," he
would not have expected us to protest or go to
jail or give our lives for
the causes for which he cared so deeply.
But he would want us to commit
ourselves, in any small way that we
possibly can, to the ideals of equal
opportunity and civil rights for
all people.

This was the crux of the
message delivered by Mary Frances Berry,
U-M alumna and chair of the
United States Commission on Civil
Rights,
during last
week's MLK Memorial Lecture at Hill Auditorium.

"I believe it is not
too much to ask that we take to heart the
message of struggle and
sacrifice exhibited in Martin Luther King's
life," she said. "I would ask
that each of you individually commit
yourself, in whatever way you can, to
the causes he cared about. I
would ask each of you to agree every day for
the rest of your life to
do just one thing in the cause of social justice,
just one
thing---that would be enough.

"If you believe in praying, say
a prayer everyday. If you believe
in helping to feed the hungry, do so,
but not just at Thanksgiving
and Christmas. You might tutor a child or an
illiterate adult. Do
whatever you can. Do something, whatever it is, and
do it every day,
for our country's sake."

Berry said that while the
nation has made great gains in civil
rights since King's assassination
nearly 30 years ago, "we should be
somewhat embarrassed by the state of
his unfinished agenda."

We would not have to wonder what King,
himself, would have done
about these serious societal issues if he were
alive today, Berry
added.

"We must do like Martin Luther King," she
said. "We must tell the
truth, even if the times are inauspicious and even
if we are made to
suffer.

"So much miscommunication and unwillingness
to deal with facts
stands in the way of our implementing Martin Luther
King's dream and
creating a unified community of justice. This is a time
for a
re-commitment to struggle. It is a time to celebrate and remember
and
to be prepared to avoid betraying the cause of social justice,
which
would give aid and comfort to its erosion. We have a great deal
ofwork to do."